PINK REPUBLIC/ MY BLOG IS A STORY MARATHON.

Rivers CP Reads Riot Act To Vigilantes: Orders DPOs To Monitor Their Activities Against Detention, Extortion, Torture The Commissioner of Police, CP Nwonyi Emeka has read riot act to vigilance group in the state . CP Emeka warned vigilance group members against detention, torture of arrested persons .CP Emeka gave the warning during a stakeholders meeting with people of Rivers East senatorial district . “CP Emeka said the Vigilante in crime fighting in Rivers State has come to stay. While we like their activities, we emphasize on their excess .We will not tolerate jungle justice from Vigilantes. We cannot have a group of people to protect life and property, and the same people are the ones killing, beheading . “Tyrannical activities of vigilante must be curtailed. They are not a force unit themselves. For instance will have situation where they turn to debt collectors, flogging people. Your duty is to arrest and share information. You don’t have power to detain and investigate. “If a p...

Rivers Ex-NBA Chairman Nyekwere Disgraced In Court, After Failed Attempt To Forcefully Represent LP, Beatrice Itubo The Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Abuja has summarily dismissed the attempt of a former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Port Harcourt, Mr. Prince Nyekwere to reap where he did not sow by his attempt to take over the representation of Labour Party by Dr. C. A. J. Chinwo and his team of lawyers representing Labour Party and its Governorship candidate in March 18 election, Chief (Mrs.) Beatrice Itubo. The tribunal noted that it is Dr. Chinwo and his team that filed all the processes in the proceedings and wondered how Mr. Nyekwere intended to take over the petition when the Labour Party had reaffirmed Dr. Chinwo as its counsel. It will be recalled that Mr. Nyekwere claimed to be briefed by the suspended Legal Adviser of Labour Party, Mr. Akingbade Oyelekan, who by the Constitution of Labour Party has no power to appoint external counsel for...

Gunmen Kill Catholic Priest In Edo June 8, 2023 A Reverend Father, Charles Igechi at the Benin Archdiocese has been allegedly shot dead by gunmen in Benin City, Edo State. It was gathered that the priest was shot by gunmen on Wednesday along the Agbor Road, Ikhueniro area of Benin, on his way to his place of assignment. A Reverend Father within the Benin Archdiocese who craved anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the incident, confirmed the killing of the priest to Daily Trust. He said, “It is true he was killed. No body was with him when he was killed by gunmen.” He said the priest’s body was found in the bypass axis of the Benin Agbor road where he was dumped. Efforts to reach the Edo State Command spokesperson, Chidi Nwanbuzor, was unsuccessful as calls and a text message to his cell phone were not answered. But the Catholic Archbishop of Benin City, Augustine Akubeze, said that the issue had been reported to the police and expressed hope that justice would be served ...

Buhari spent more than $19bn used for Dangote Refinery on Nigeria’s refineries, yet they have not been maintained — Gov Sule 8 June 2023    Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nassarawa State says the government of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari spent more than the $19 billion used in building the Dangote Refinery in the maintenance of the country’s refineries. Nigeria has refineries in Kaduna, Port Harcourt, and Warri but none is functioning with experts saying the recent launch of the Dangote Refinery would be a game changer in the sector. “Look at how much the President Buhari administration spent on fixing the refineries. In the eight years, he spent more money than the $19 billion that Dangote spent in building a refinery, “That is one and half times the size of our three refineries combined,” Sule said during Channels Television Sunrise Daily on Thursday. He pinned the payments of subsidy on Nigeria’s non-functional refineries. “From the government side, I think we didn’t do a goo...

  Presidential Election: INEC deliberately sabotaged uploading of results on server — Expert tells Tribunal 8 June 2023  A witness for the Labour Party on Thursday accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of an attempt to sabotage the 2023 presidential election. At the resumed hearing , the presidential election tribunal, saw the LP bring forward its witness, Anthony Chinwo, who is a software engineer. Under cross examination by legal counsels to the INEC, President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Chinwo said that he conducted investigations around the uploading of results to the Irev portal by electoral umpire and discovered that there was a deliberate plot to undermine the electoral process. This claim infuriated A.B Mahmood the INEC counsel who objected and insisted that from the documents presented before the court, INEC used the highest level of software security. LP, Obi Submit Final Results After listening the witness statemen...

Commotion as armed men storm Anambra Assembly, try to whisk away member-elect 8 June 2023  Four armed men believed to be operatives of Department of State Services (DSS) on Thursday stormed the Anambra State House of Assembly, Awka, in three vehicles and made an attempt to whisk away the lawmaker-elect for Nnewi North constituency, Mr Onyekachukwu Ike. Information has it the incident caused panic at the legislative complex headquarters for over an hour. According to an eyewitness, “There was panic at the Anambra State House of Assembly as four armed men suspected to be operatives of Directorate of Security Services (DSS) tried to whisk away member-elect for Nnewi North constituency, Mr Onyekachukwu Ike. “The armed men drove into the Assembly complex in three vehicles and grabbed the member-elect after he participated in a valedictory thanksgiving service for the seventh Assembly. “They bundled the member-elect into their vehicle and were trying to drive out of the Assembly complex ...

France: Syrian refugee injured 6 people including 4 children by attacking with a knife   A Syrian refugee attacked 6 people including 4 children with a knife in a park in Annecy, France. The police have arrested the attacker. According to the French authorities, the ages of the children injured in the attack range from 22 months to three years, one of the injured children is British and one is Dutch. All four children were seriously injured in the attack, the attacker was arrested after being injured by police firing. According to reports, the attacker is a 31-year-old Syrian citizen from a refugee camp in Sweden, no evidence of terrorism was found in the attack and the purpose of the attack is not yet clear while further investigations are underway. Watch video below. 

 GOC 8 DIVISION PAYS COURTESY VISIT TO GOVERNOR OF SOKOTO STATE SAYS INSECURITY WILL BE DEFEATED SOON The General Officer Commanding 8 Division Nigerian Army and Commander Joint Taskforce North West Operation HADARIN DAJI Major General Godwin Micheal Mutkut in Sokoto, paid a courtesy visit to the Executive Governor of Sokoto State His Excellency Dr Aliyu Ahmed.  In his remarks during the visit, the GOC stated that the visit was to felicitate with the Governor who was recently sworn in following his victory in the recently concluded general elections. He also stated that the visit was also to discuss the issues of insecurity, especially bandit's attacks which he said is one  of the major security challenges bedeviling the state  The GOC while sympathizing with the Governor and victims of recent bandit attacks in one of the communities of the state avered that the Joint Taskforce under his command will deploy everything at its disposal to ensure that insecurity is redu...

Anambra  Government Hands Over 7 Road Construction Sites to Contractors By Okoli Sunday The Anambra State Government led by Prof. Charles Soludo has handed over seven roads in different parts of the State to Contractors for immediate construction, with a charge for speedy completion. The Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Ifeanyi Okoma, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Stephanie Keri-Uzor gave the charge after taking the Contractors round the roads to be constructed. The roads inspected and handed over include: Reconstruction of some selected roads In Onitsha Anambra State: creek roads; Reconstruction of some selected roads In Onitsha Anambra State: Moore Street/Iweka Road; Construction of Awkuzu-Umunya Road In Oyi LGA, Anambra State and Construction Of Amawbia Internal Roads (Lot 1) Awka-South LGA, Anambra State.  Others are: Construction of Isuofia Township Roads (Phase 1) as an extension of the Igboukwu – Ikenga – Ekwulobia ...

TINUBU SIGNS INTO LAW BILL RAISING JUDGES’ RETIREMENT AGE President Bola Tinubu has assented to the 1999 Constitutional Amendment Bill pertaining to the retirement age of judicial officers in Nigeria. The Director of Information to the President, Abiodun Oladunjoye, who made this known in a statement on Thursday said Tinubu signed into law the “Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Fifth Alteration) (No. 37), 2023,” presented by the outgoing 9th National Assembly. With the enactment of the amendment bill, the retirement age of High Court judges has been raised from 65 to 70 years. It also implies that judicial officers’ retirement age and pension rights have been effectively brought into uniformity, among other related matters. While signing the amendment bill into law, Tinubu pledged his administration’s commitment to strengthening the judiciary, ensuring the rule of law, and empowering judicial officers to execute their responsibilities effectively.  

They respect the profession and treat us like kings - Kano teacher responds after being criticized for teaching primary school kids in China instead of Nigeria A Nigerian school teacher and filmmaker, Bello Habeeb Galadanchi, has reacted after being criticized for choosing to teach children in China instead of his own country.  Reacting to the criticism on Thursday, June 8, the journalist and PhD holder in Comparative English, said teachers are well respected in China. He further shared a shopping card which all the teachers in his school received, saying that the salaries and benefits are also great. “I’ve received a lot of criticism for teaching primary school kids in China, instead of Nigeria. Out of the blue, our HR office gave out these cards (2nd biggest retail app in China) to all teachers yesterday just to show appreciation. You can only imagine what our salaries are,” he tweeted.  “Please don’t go around Nigeria telling people that “The Pay is better” is not deep. Als...

The time for this ethnic dog whistling must come to an end- Labour party guber candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes condemns Lagos speaker's plan to enact laws to favour indigenes The governorship candidate of Labour party in the 2023 governorship election in Lagos state, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has reacted to reports that the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, and members of the state parliament plan to pass laws that will protect the interest of indigenes of the state. Dailytrust reported that Obasa, who was elected speaker of the 10th Assembly for the third consecutive term on Tuesday, June 6, said as part of its legislative agenda, there would be laws and resolutions in the areas of economy and commerce, property and titles and reversal of “all that are reversible to protect the interest of the indigenes”. In an apparent reaction to some of the controversies in the build-up to the 2023 elections including the argument that non-indigenes wanted to take over the s...

Backlash as Hilda Baci reveals being on her period during cook-a-thon Netizens across social media have begun to drag popular Nigerian chef, Hilda Baci after she shared that she was on her menstrual period during the cooking competition that was held in Lagos State. Baci revealed in her recent interview with TV3 Ghana that throughout the four days of the cooking spree, she was uncomfortable as the period almost made her attempt to break the record futile. She said her monthly period has always been a horrible time for her and the stress made it even worst, adding that her father was really worried. “I was on my period the entire time and that made it extremely difficult and extra hard. What that meant was it took away from the time that I had to rest. “I was trying to rack up because I get 5 minutes every time I completed 1 hour. So if I stand for one hour, I had 5 minutes to rest. And I still had to do my medical checks. God bless my medical team. “They were on the ground. “Because I ...

Popular Veteran Yoruba Actors Lalude Beg Money For Car On Social Media  A video has surfaced online featuring Kamo, a popular comedian known as “Nepa Boys,” and Fatai Adekunle Adetayo, also known as Lalude, on a movie set. Kamo was seen speaking in the Yoruba language, pleading with his fans to kindly assist Lalude in obtaining a car so that he can stop relying on motorcycles for transportation. You may recall that recently, a total sum of 4.6 million naira was raised for veteran actress Iya Gbonkan to help her complete her house and acquire a car for herself. This initiative was made possible through the efforts of popular prophet Gabriel. As per an online report, Pastor Gabriel, upon viewing the video, contacted and personally visited the individual in Osogbo. Responding swiftly, he initiated arrangements by gathering funds from compassionate individuals worldwide, aiming to turn her dream into a tangible reality. Now, Lalude is on the verge of experiencing a situation similar to...

  PRESS STATEMENT NNPC 2021 PROFIT: A CLARIFICATION On Thursday, 01/06/2023, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPC Ltd, Mr. @MKKyari, OFR, appeared on Arise TV's "The Morning Show". Among the issues the GCEO discussed was the 2021 profit margin. Inadvertently, N687 trillion was mentioned as the company's Profit after Tax figure as against N674 billion contained in the 2021 Annual Financial Statement. The accurate Profit after Tax figure for the Year 2021, N674 billion, was communicated to the public via our official Twitter account on 05/10/2022. Garba Deen Muhammad Chief Corporate Communications Officer NNPC Ltd. Abuja

JUST IN:  Tinubu meets PDP ‘G5 govs’ The Peoples Democratic Party G5 Governors are currently meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. All five members of the group are attending the meeting in the President’s office. They are its leader, former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike; Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State; immediate past governors of Benue, Enugu and Abia states, Sam Ortom, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Okezie Ikpeazu, respectively. This comes barely one week after Wike and Makinde met the President at the State House. Although the agenda of the meeting is not yet public, The PUNCH gathered that it may be related to ongoing consultations between the President and key persons as his new government takes shape. More details to come… More photos below. 

Obi vs Tinubu:  Peter Obi Presents Second Witness As Fireworks Garner Momentum The Petitioners' lead counsel, Dr. Livy Uzoukwu, SAN, introduces Patrick Ikwueto, SAN to kick off with today's presentations for the Petitioners. Ikwueto takes over, informs the court that the Petitioners are ready to call witnesses. Permitted, he calls up a witness.  The witness enters the witness box, is sworn in. He is Anthony Chinwo, a software engineer as well as an architect and resident at 7, Khartoum Crescent, Wuse Zone 6, Abuja. The witnesses, recorded as PW2, had earlier given a written deposition which he now adopts in court. On cross examination by INEC counsel, the witness reveals that some of his technical conclusions were informed by the precedence in the Kenya Presidential Election Court proceedings... Cross examination continues ...  

Nigeria excluded as Canada grants visa-free travel for many countries 8 June 2023  Canada has excluded Nigeria as two African nations have been added to the country’s visa-free travel list. The Canadian authorities announced visa-free travel for visitors from 13 different countries across Asia, Africa, Central and South America. The Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Sean Fraser disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday. According to the Canadian government, the visa-free travel is extended to Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, St Kitts-Nevis, Panama, Argentina, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Morocco, Seychelles, st. Vincent and the Grenadines, Thailand and the Philippines. While north Africa’s Morocco and east Africa’s Seychelles joined the list, Nigeria the most populous African nation didn’t make the cut. “An expansion of the electronic travel authorization better known as the eTA programs makes it easier for “known travellers” from those countries...

UNICEF, NPC Partner NYSC For Digital Birth Registration  *** The United Nations Children’s Fund and the National Population Commission (NPC) have partnered with the National Youth Service Corps for the registration of 12.7 million births in 2023. The partnership will also include the issuance of birth certificates that provide the names and nationality of every child in Nigeria, under the age of 5, in 21 states, 456 local government areas, and 4,978 wards across the country. UNICEF Chief of Child Protection, Dr Ibrahim Sesay, stated this while leading a team of officials of the agency and the NPC, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the NYSC at the National Directorate Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday. In a statement by the NYSC on Wednesday, Dr Sesay said “800 Corps members would be enlisted for the exercise and would work alongside the National Population Commission officials”. He stated further that the registration of births and birth certificates are the legal identit...

Court Jails Three Fraudsters 12 Years in  Sokoto Justice Muhammad Sifawa of the Sokoto State High Court has convicted and sentenced three fraudsters:  Joseph Moses, Raji Tijjani and Albert Chris Bulus, to twelve years imprisonment. They were jailed after pleading guilty to one- count separate charges bordering on impersonation and obtaining under false pretence. The three defendants pleaded guilty to each of their charges. In view of their guilty pleas, prosecution counsel, S.H Shehu prayed the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.  Justice Sifawa thereafter convicted and sentenced all the three defendants to four years imprisonment each. The convicts' journey to the Correctional Centre began when they were arrested by operatives of the Sokoto Command of the EFCC, for impersonating foreigners and defrauding their victims in the process.  They were subsequently prosecuted and convicted. More photos below. 

Man Bags Three Years for Keke NAPEP Investment Scam in Maiduguri … Three others Arraigned for Currency Counterfeiting in Yobe The Maiduguri Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes, EFCC, on Thursday, June 8, 2023, secured the conviction and sentencing of one Adamu Abdullahi to three years imprisonment before Justice Musa Mustapha of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri on a one-count charge of criminal breach of trust. Upon arraignment on June 14, 2022, the defendant had pleaded not guilty and the case went into trial with the prosecution calling two witnesses and tendering several documents in evidence. Justice Mustapha in his Judgment today, convicted and sentenced Abdullahi to three years imprisonment or a fine of N30,000. The Judge further ordered the convict to pay the sum of N2,440,000.00 (Two Million Four Hundred and Forty Thousand Naira) in restitution to his victim or go to jail for further five years. In a related development, the Maiduguri Zonal Command today arr...

Ogun police parade 40 suspected cultists, others No fewer than 40 suspects were on Wednesday paraded by the Ogun State Police Command for various crimes such as cultism, murder and armed robbery. The state Commissioner of Police, Olanrewaju Oladimeji, who paraded the suspects before journalists at the police command headquarters in Abeokuta, the state capital, said they were apprehended both within and outside the state. Oladimeji said Michael Bob, Abdul Omotoyosi and Adeshina Idris were arrested for conspiracy, armed robbery and stealing. He said the suspects were arrested in Mushin, Lagos State while a stolen Toyota car was recovered during the operation. He also paraded Austin Omoh who was allegedly involved in an armed robbery incident in the state but was arrested in Maroko, Lagos State. The police boss said a stolen Toyota Sequoia SUV with number plate AAA 631 HX was recovered from him. The CP added that the police arrested one Wasiu Odubote for shop breaking and stealing in Igbe...

Lagos boosts revenue drive, drags entertainers into tax net ... Bill Nollywood actress, Iyabo Ojo, N18.6m personal income tax within seven days or risk jail term. The Lagos State Government appears to have boosted its tax revenue drive by focusing on entertainers, writes ONOZURE DANIA Non-payment of tax is a crime and attracts sanctions from the government. Recently, the Lagos State government appears to have also focused on entertainers. On Monday, June 5, 2023, the government filed a 12-count charge against the managing director of an interior firm and a social media celebrity, Ehizogie Ogbebor, over alleged failure to file tax returns. The state alleged that she refused to pay personal income tax to the state internal revenue service within the time stipulated by law since 2014 till date. According to the charge, the defendant being a taxable personality in Nigeria failed to pay her tax, which contravened Sections 41 and 94 (1) of the Personal Income Tax Act, Cap. P8, Laws of the F...